Guayanilla, Puerto Rico

Guayanilla (gwah-yah-NEE-yah) is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in southern coast of the island, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Adjuntas, east of Yauco; and west of Peñuelas and about 20 km (12 mi) west of Ponce. Guayanilla is spread over 16 wards and Guayanilla Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city).

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Industry
5 Tourism
6 Notable "Guayanillenses"
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

[edit] History

Guayanilla was founded by Catalans, Corsicans, Venezuelans, and Puerto Rican criollos. The original name was Guadianilla in memory of a river of the same name in Spain. However, it was changed to Guayanilla to resemble a native word in the Taíno dialect. The name Guayanilla is derived from a combination of Guaynia and Santa Maria de Guadianilla.

The first Europeans settled in this area in 1511. In 1756, Yauco was founded as a town. Then Guayanilla was a borough of Yauco. Due to the very fertile lands and access to the local port where most of the local commerce occurred, Guayanilla became an important agricultural center, grew quickly, and was established as a separate municipality on February 27, 1833 by Governor Miguel de la Torre.

[edit] Geography

Guayanilla Bay

The coastline forms the Guayanilla Bay, one of the best natural harbors in Puerto Rico, to the south, also. The nearest large city is Ponce, which is 20 km (12 mi) to the east. The northern regions are bordered by mountains that reach 1000 meters (3281 feet). In the central regions, the terrain descends where it does not exceed 430 meters (1410 feet). Finally in the coastal plain, the elevations do not exceed 290 meters (951 feet). The Yauco, Guayanilla, and Macaná rivers all run through the municipality. The Yauco River briefly runs through the Boca borough, where its exit into the Caribbean Sea and accompanying marshlands are located.

[edit] Demographics

According to the Census in 2000, 98.5% are Puerto Rican Hispanic, 0.6% other Hispanic, 0.5% non-Hispanic white, 0.3% Mexican, and 0.1% Cuban. There are 7,209 households out of which 40.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% are married couples living together, 21.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 16.4% are non-families. 15.2% live alone, and 7.1% live alone and are over 65 years of age. The average household size is 3.19, and the average family size is 3.55.

The age distribution of the population is 30.0% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% over 65. The median age is 31 years.

The median income for a household is $11,361, and the median income for a family is $13,187. The per capita income for the city is $5,954. 57.0% of the population and 54.9% of the families are below the poverty line..

Below is the population by boroughs:

Barrero: 1,033
Boca: 1,263
Cedro: 14
Consejo: 883
Guayanilla Town (Pueblo): 4,832
Indios: 2,339

Jagua Pasto: 162
Jaguas: 1,276
Llano: 841
Macaná: 1,446
Magas: 3,465
Pasto: 360

Playa: 1,317
Quebrada Honda: 446
Quebradas: 2,609
Rufina: 210
Sierra Baja: 576
Total: 23,072

[edit] Industry

The main industries in Guayanilla are the manufacturing of petrochemicals and the production of electricity by thermoelectrical plants. Guayanilla produces over half of Puerto Rico's electricity. The breakdown of occupations are as follows:

22.2% : Educational, health, and social services
14.5% : Public administration
14.5% : Construction
11.3% : Manufacturing
9.6% : Retail trade
6.4% : Transportation and warehousing, and utilities
5.3% : Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services

4.5% : Other services
3.6% : Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services
2.9% : Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining
2.3% : Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing
1.8% : Wholesale trade
1.2% : Information

[edit] Tourism

Places to visit: Mario Mercado Castle, Chorro de Oro Waterfall, Cuevas (Caves) del Convento, Guilarte Forest, Emajagua Beach, La Ventana Beach, Tamarindo Beach, Central Rufina Ruins
Festivals: Student Festival (May), Beach Festival (May), Cross Festivities (May), Fishing Festival (June), Virgen del Carmen Festival (June), Seafood Festival (June), Farazo Festival (July), Town Carnival (July), Ladies Marathon (November), Immaculate Conception Festivities (December)

[edit] Notable "Guayanillenses"

Bolívar Pagán - Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico
Myrna Rodríguez
Jaime Ruiz Escobar

[edit] See also

Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Corsican surnames in Puerto Rico (486 surnames)

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